What is a Doublet?

[kingandrew]

Richard,

You note that Renaissance-era jackets have flaps that are similar to the various styles of Highland doublets. I would add that the form-fitting short jackets of the late Medieval and Renaissance periods were in fact called "doublets," to differentiate them from earlier, longer styles such as the "cotehardie." Many early (1500s-1600s) portraits of kilted aristocrats (such as the one in your post) show them wearing Shakespearean doublets, which would have been the contemporary style.

The Tartan Revival that followed the lifting of the ban on kilts and Highland dress involved a Romantic revival of what were seen as earlier styles. It seems likely to me that the Victorian doublet styles were originally conceived as connecting to an earlier tradition that had been interrupted.

Military styles have certainly had a major impact on menswear in general--just think of the prevalence of khaki, waist belts, trenchcoats and the like. With Highland wear, the gap in civilian styles during the proscription period meant that the only active kilt wearers when the garment was legalized again were soldiers. This meant that military influence on traditional Highland dress has been perhaps even more pronounced than for Saxon wear. The cross-influence of military and civilian doublets may be an example illustrating this point.

Just a few thoughts.

Andrew